The Departure of Ramadan
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
Ramadan has left us, and we are saddened at its departure. Ibn Rajab so diligently writes that which we all feel:
“O month of Ramadan, be gentle! The tears of the lovers are streaming down at your departure and their hearts torn asunder at the pain of separation.”
We must all be feeling the sudden shock in the loss of our Taqwa, and the weakening of the connection with our Lord. However one must not dwell in his sadness for Ramadan, but he must strive to earn Allah’s (سبحانه وتعالى) Pleasure continuously. Remember the Lord that we worship is the same in Ramadan and outside of it.
Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) has given us a path towards keeping up our ‘Ramadan Taqwa’ via the fasting in Shawwal. Abu Ayyub reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“Whoever fasts Ramadan and follows it with six days of Shawwal , it will be as if he fasted for a lifetime.”
This is our motivation to keep up the Sunnah of fasting outside of Ramadan. These fasts should, by the Will of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), increase us in our Taqwa and strengthen our connection with our Lord. Our fear should be becoming ‘Ramadan Muslims’, leaving the Mushaf dusty on the shelf for most of the year, but picking it up only in one month. The Qur’an that we read in Ramadan should carry the same importance outside Ramadan. It is the Words of our Lord that we have between our hands. What a great blessing we have !!
Fear Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) as much as you are able to, and realise that we may not make it to the next Ramadan.
“And no soul perceives what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul perceives in what land it will die. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.”
We ask Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) to accept our fasting and our standing at night, and to forgive our shortcomings and sins.
We ask Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) to forgive us, our parents, and all the Muslims past and present.
We ask Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) to allow us the chance to meet Ramadan again, and to keep our Taqwa strong throughout the year.
We ask Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) to liberate the Ummah from the oppression and occupation that she is facing, especially in Masjid al-Aqsa and the Blessed Land.